I would like to discuss a certain contradiction(?) in the quran. Its about the question, which was created first - the heaven or the earth.
By the quran, sura 49:9 the earth was first there, then allah created some stuff on it and finished the heavens.
By 79:27 allah spread out the earth, after making the heavens.
So, is this a contradiction or not? Tafsirs, e.g. al-Jalalayn explain it as follows: the earth was created first, but spread out later. Ibn Abbas explains it as "the earth was spread on the water". (see: www. altafsir.com)
So, now here comes my own interpretation:
First, i think that the "creation story" was something very common - and hence it seems unlikely to me, that anybody would make a contradiction here. However, i found something in the bible, genesis 1 (note that in those verses you find most of the descriptions from the quran).
1 In the beginning (B)God (C)created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was [a](D)formless and void, and (E)darkness was over the surface of the deep, and (F)the Spirit of God (G)was moving over the surface of the waters.
[ok, we see that by that story the earth was there first. It was somehow "water" and gods spirit was hovering above it. You also find the spirit-thing in the quran]
3....
6 Then God said, "Let there be an (M)expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
7 God made the [c]expanse, and separated (N)the waters which were below the expanse from the waters (O)which were above the expanse; and it was so.
8 God called the expanse heaven...
[ok, thats the "big bang" ;-).
God separates the water to create heaven and earth from it"]
9 Then God said, "(P)Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let (Q)the dry land appear"; and it was so.
10 God called the dry land earth, and the (R)gathering of the waters He called seas;
And thats the interesting part: Obviously the word "earth" is used in two meanings:
- First, the "earth" is the raw material (water probably) from which heaven and 'earth' were made by separation.
- Second, its the appearing dry land, which is spread out on the water. This interpretation is in line with tafsirs which explain the quran verses in exactly the same way.
So the quran verses are probably no contradiction, because "earth" in the ancient world view had those two different meanings. The contradiction only arises, if you try to take the meanings of "earth" into a modern day context.
What do you think about that interpretation?
UG
Topic: Quran: Heaven or earth created first? Here comes my own interpretation ;-)